User Comments - mikeinewshot
mikeinewshot
Posted on: Drinking Ability
July 7, 2009 at 4:03 AMshenyajin
Many thanks. It was the gao that I didn't get - I suppose I thought it was 高. I now understand! She is saying that in this situation you don't have to use a word like 从 to express who is inheriting from whom as you can understand from the context.
In the second case, I think I thought it was 必。 I still don't hear the tones right all the time...
Posted on: What Would You Like to Eat?
July 7, 2009 at 3:51 AMMy hotel in Shanghai was next to a hugely expensive French restaurant. However, I did go in and talk to the (?)head waiter - He told me that he didn't speak French but was thinking about learning it! The was also a smell of disinfectant, so we left - overenthusiatic cleaning I think ...
In Guangzhou I went to a nice French restaurant on the river. The person who took my order was French. I thought she was the boss, but she told me she was just a hired hand.
In Yangshou there was a 'French' restaurant which did steaks - not very good and not very French really - just Western style. No French speaker in sight.
Posted on: Drinking Ability
July 6, 2009 at 6:57 PMJust some of the words from the discussion - I hope they are correct:
究竟 jiū jìng after all (when all is said and done) / actually / outcome / result
重复 chóng fù to repeat / to duplicate / CL: 個｜个
胆子 dǎn zi courage / nerves
勇气 yǒng qì courage / valour
英雄 yīng xióng hero / CL: 個｜个
西洋 xī yáng the West / Europe / the Pacific (West from China)
烈 liè ardent / intense / fierce / stern / upright / to give one's life for a noble cause / exploits / achievements
干邑 Gān yì Cognac / brandy 白蘭地｜白兰地 from the Cognac region of southwest France
功劳 gōng láo contribution / meritorious / credit
成就 chéng jiù accomplishment / success / attain a result / achievement / CL: 個｜个
控制 kòng zhì control / to exercise control over / to contain
表现 biǎo xiàn to show / to show off / to display / to manifest / expression / manifestation / show / display / performance (at work etc)
行为 xíng wéi action / conduct / behaviour / activity
偏见 piān jiàn prejudice
欺负 qī fu to bully
痛苦 tòng kǔ pain / suffering / painful / CL: 個｜个
I couldn't work out what Jenny said at about 10 mins 17 secs. Something like "zhege shiqing gaoqingchule jiu xingle".
At about 13:20 she said: bizhi ni he?
Posted on: Overseas Chinese
July 5, 2009 at 7:52 PMSome of the words I picked out of the discussion:
仔细 zǐ xì careful / attentive / cautious
角度 jiǎo dù angle / point of view
句式 jù shì sentence pattern / sentence structure / syntax
转折 zhuan3 zhe2 turning point / shift in the trend of events / plot shift in a book
根 gēn radical (chem.) / root / basis / classifier for long slender objects, e.g. cigarettes, guitar strings
家乡 jiā xiāng hometown / native place
头晕 tóu yūn dizzy
主观 zhǔ guān subjective
相对 xiāng duì relatively / opposite / to resist / to oppose / relative / vis-a-vis
广泛 guang3 fan4 extensive / wide range
后代 hòu dài posterity / later periods / later ages / later generations
国籍 guó jí nationality
通畅 tōng chàng unobstructed / clear
流通 liú tōng to circulate
忙碌 mang2 lu4 busy / bustling
劣势 liè shì inferior / disadvantaged (hardly used)
炒股票 chǎo gǔ piào to speculate in stocks
负面 fù miàn negative / the negative side
允许 yǔn xǔ to permit / to allow
感想 gǎn xiǎng impressions / reflections / thoughts / CL: 通, 個｜个
Posted on: My Scooter Won't Start
July 5, 2009 at 2:17 PMbodawei
I fear you attribute more intelligence and diligence to me than I deserve!
I use http://de.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddictbasic for most of the lookups but in the case of 三轮摩托车, there was no entry, so I used John's translation in the lesson of Motorbike and sidecar.
Posted on: My Scooter Won't Start
July 5, 2009 at 8:28 AMWords from the discussion:
移动 yí dòng to move / movement / migration / mobile / portable
打开 dǎ kāi to open / to show (a ticket) / to turn on / to switch on
发动机 fā dòng jī engine / motor / CL: 臺｜台
起飞 qǐ fēi to take off (in an airplane)
发生 fā shēng to happen / to occur / to take place / to break out
空气 kōng qì air / atmosphere
汽油 qì yóu gas / gasoline / CL: 升 – petrol
混合 hùn hé to mix / to blend
变成 biàn chéng to change into / to turn into / to become
发抖 fā dǒu shiver / shudder / tremble / tremulous
机器 jī qì machine / CL: 臺｜台, 部, 個｜个
火花 huǒ huā spark / sparkle
塞子 sāi zi cork / plug
石油 shí yóu oil / petroleum
柴油 chái yóu diesel fuel
卫护 wèi hù to guard / to protect
口罩 kǒu zhào mask (surgical etc)
禁止 jìn zhǐ to prohibit / to forbid / to ban
环保 huán bǎo environmental protection
三轮摩托车 sān lún mó tuō chē motorbike and sidecar
Posted on: Pinyin Sections 1-2
July 4, 2009 at 5:36 PMActually this should be called pinyin for Americans, who have never studied a foreign language before.
I started to listen but quickly decided I might get corrupted by John's suggestions of how not to say things - which had never occurred to me before.
Posted on: Agreement on Exclusive Representation
July 4, 2009 at 9:50 AMA tough lesson, as has been said above. Here are some of the words I looked up when trying to follow Jenny's explanations .....
独家新闻 dújiā xīnwén exclusive news - scoop
代理商 dài lǐ shāng agent
生产商 shēng chǎn shāng manufacturer, supplier
吉利 jí lì auspicious / lucky / propitious
办公 bàn gōng to handle official business / to work (esp. in an office)
用具 yòng jù appliance / utensil
投射 tóu shè dart / projection
影子 yǐng zi shadow / reflection / CL: 個｜个
影像 yǐng xiàng image
仪器 yí qì (scientific etc) instrument / CL: 臺｜台
翻跟头 fān gēn tou to tumble / to turn a cartwheel / a somersault
亏欠 kuī qiàn to fall short of / to have a deficit / deficit / deficiency
经销 jīng xiāo to sell / to distribute
奖励 jiǎng lì reward (as encouragement)
个人 gè rén individual / personal / oneself
佣金 yòng jīn commission
礼品 lǐ pǐn gift / present
促销 cù xiāo promote sales
谈判 tán pàn to negotiate / negotiation / talks / conference / CL: 個｜个
辩论 biàn lùn debate / argue over / CL: 場｜场, 次
我方 wǒ fāng our side / we
季度 jì dù quarter (finance, publishing, schools, etc.) / season (sports) / period of three months
强度 qiáng dù strength / intensity / CL: 個｜个
详细 xiáng xì detailed / in detail / minute
At about 3mins 9 seconds in, Jenny says xiantanzhenshir - I am not sure what this is about. Is it 闲谈真事?
Posted on: What Would You Like to Eat?
July 7, 2009 at 7:17 AMshenyajin
Chinese food can be reasonably priced (in England and France!). Here is a menu from a restaurant chain in England:
http://www.caferouge.co.uk/menus_display.php?id=3
If you investigate the site you will find a variety of menus